Greg Veliz, executive director for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on with the organization.
There are places throughout the Keys where the water main line needs to be replaced. As a result, traffic can definitely be affected.
Veliz said, “When this whole project started, we anticipated the worst. Unfortunately, we thought what we had today was going to be to run the entire span of the repair, which is a 20 year process. We may have overplayed it a bit, but that’s what we thought it was going to be. So then we got lucky in Islamorada and it wasn’t as bad as we had anticipated, and I think everyone, us included, just got a little bit comfortable. The project had not been what we had anticipated. Well now it is and now we’ve come into realization that there’s going to be good spots and bad spots, and right now we’re in a bad spot, and hopefully we can get out of there soon.”
What was the alternative to the traffic problems in Tavernier recently?
Veliz said, “I think basically the major changes we’ve got two lanes, coming south and we’re going to have one going north. Ideal? No. Not at all, but that’s what we’ve got right now. I think we’ve got four to five weeks, maybe, left of the project, which seems like an eternity, but then we’ll go away, and you won’t see us for a little bit. We’ll start working in another area that gives us a little bit more latitude. But right now, it’s a problem. I wish I could tell you that, that it was never going to happen again, but that would mean your water security is less than it should be. So there’s a trade off. I’m thinking the part that’s causing everybody the heartaches is going to probably be done in about five weeks, I think. That big drill rig that you see sticking out, it has to go in at that angle, and it has to be in that spot, and it can’t move. Once you start drilling, you can’t move it. It’s got to stay there and unfortunately, that’s not a flexible situation. People talk about time, why did you pick this time? Why didn’t you go in the off season? Every time you send these people home, you have to demobilize and then remobilize, and when you’re talking about a $57 million project, that’s a big cost. This isn’t a job you can do on the weekends. This is something that has to continue, and it’s probably going to continue in various stages for probably 20 plus years. I mean, there’s that much pipe and there’s that much work to do.”
Where is the work being done right now?
Veliz said, “It’s right adjacent to Coral Shores High School. Then it goes into Tavernier, that shopping center in Tavernier. We went up to Islamorada City Council Tuesday night. They’re catching a lot of heat too, obviously. So we went to go to talk there, and we answered some questions from the public, and everyone seems to understand it’s necessary. I think we’re where the difference in opinions lies is how we should do it and when we should do it and once you come to grips with the critical nature of it, the how and the when and the when is now. Every day you wait is another day.”
What about state and federal funding? Where are we at with that?
Veliz said, “I think you’ll hear across the board the atmosphere in Tallahassee this year was a little bit different than it has been in past years, and nowhere more than on the financial end. Everyone is telling you it’s going to be a tight year, and we obviously are right in middle of building a new RO plant up in Marathon. That’s not just a project you can shut down and say, okay, well, maybe next year. So we’ve got to figure out a way to keep this thing going, and we’re hoping that Tallahassee, we’ve been to the market. We’ve borrowed money. We’ve increased rates to support capital projects. So the three legs of that stool is now the state, and then, in turn, Washington. So we’re opening up what we’re trying to do out of Washington now too, and look at federal dollars. Obviously we need the state to continue to help us, and I think they understand the importance of it. Our selling point is always, all these other projects don’t happen if there’s not water.”
Are we still on schedule with the projects?
Veliz said, “We’re still ahead. This group is phenomenal that we’ve got here. They’ve worked with us well, even through all of these hold ups and challenges when it comes to the traffic. They’ve been great. So we’re going to continue with that winning strategy as long as we can, continue to stay with that group. They’ve done a tremendous job from the communications aspect, we have a great public relations team we put together and the management team, that has been excellent, and they have done everything they’ve needed to do to get us started again, I mean, look how fast the turnaround was through their efforts.”